Fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibers are often exposed to motor neuron double discharges (≥200 Hz), which markedly increase both the rate of contraction and the magnitude of the resulting force responses. However, the mechanism responsible for these effects is poorly understood, likely because of technical limitations in previous studies. In this study, we measured cytosolic Ca2+ during doublet a...

We developed quantitative assays to test the hypothesis that the N-DRC is required for integrity of the ciliary axoneme. We examined reactivated motility of demembranated drc cells, commonly termed "reactivated cell models." ATP-induced reactivation of wild-type cells resulted in the forward swimming of ∼90% of cell models. ATP-induced reactivation failed in a subset of drc cell models, despite...

Cilia are microtubule-based cellular organelles that mediate signal transduction. Cilia are organized into several structurally and functionally distinct compartments: the basal body, the transition zone (TZ), and the cilia shaft. In vertebrates, the cystoprotein Inversin localizes to a portion of the cilia shaft adjacent to the TZ, a region termed the "Inversin compartment" (InvC). The mechani...

A doublet intraocular lens optimized for both chromatic and monochromatic aberration correction in pseudophakic eyes is presented. Ray-tracing techniques were applied to design the lens in white light within a chromatic eye model. Combinations of two materials, already commonly used in intraocular lenses, as acrylic and silicone, were used. Iterative optimization algorithms were employed to cor...

The influence of a pair of stimuli generated in a short time sequence (doublet) at the beginning of stimulation on the time course of the following tetanus was investigated. Experiments were performed on single motor units in rat's medial gastrocnemius. The doublet evoked an increase in tetanic tension, tetanic fusion and the area under tension record. These effects were measured in tetani fuse...

Research concerning the impact of earthquake victims' individual behavior and its association with earthquake-related injuries is lacking. This study examined this relationship along with effectiveness of earthquake rescue measures. The six most severely destroyed townships during the Lushan earthquake were examined; 28 villages and three earthquake victims' settlement camp areas were selected ...

Physical modeling of earthquake generation processes is essential to further our understanding of seismic hazard. However, the scale-dependent nature of earthquake rupture processes is further complicated by the heterogeneous nature of the crust. Despite significant advances in the understanding of earthquake generation processes, and the derivation of underlying physical laws, controversy rema...

According to the features and demands of earthquake rescue on-site, automatic modelling and scene generation methods based on fundamental geographic data were investigated, and an earthquake scene model was proposed considering both effect of local site conditions on ground motion and vulnerability of different buildings. Based on ArcGIS Engine, the system in which the scene of pre-earthquake a...